Golfers third at Drury Invitational

     SPRINFIELD, Mo. (Oct. 13) -- Ryan King shot an even-par 72 and Collin Garrett finished just a stoke behind, leading the Cameron men's golf team to a third-place showing after the first round of action in the Best Western Deerfied Inn/Drury Invitational on Monday.
     Cameron finished with a team score of 303 (+15) on the Hickory Hills Country Club 7,020-yard layout, equalling the effort of Arkansas Tech to tie for third after the first of two rounds in the event. St. Mary's University leads with an impressive score of 289 (+1), while Central Oklahoma sits in second, just five stroke ahead of the Aggies at 298.
     King and Garrett will both be chasing after individual medalist honors on Tuesday. King is tied with two others for second place in the individual standings, while Garrett is in a three-way lock for fifth. St. Mary's standout Luke Antonelli owns a four-stroke lead entering the final round after posting a blistering four-under 68 on Monday.
     Cameron's Dusty Isabell also ranks among the individual Top 25 in the 21-team event, posting a four-over 76 in the opening round to join a group of seven others in 24th place. Freshman Brad Aycock carded an 82.
     "I'm really happy with the way Ryan and Collin played today," Cameron head coach Jerry Hrnciar said. "And Dusty, too. They all played really good golf. We didn't get to play this course in the practice round, so everything was new.
     "Brad made three double-bogeys on the front nine and did a good job just to keep it together the rest of the way," Hrnciar added. "These golf courses are about as difficult as you can get. They're great, great courses, but you have to have everything going for you to do well on them."
     Conditions for Monday's opening round were mostly favorable, with temperatures in the 60s, but some rain and overcast skies dominated the day.  The invitational will conclude tomorrow after the second round is played at Highland Springs Country Club.
     "It's a little more difficult on the course rating," Hrnciar said. "But it's the course we practiced on, so I think we'll be a little more comfortable. It's supposed to be rainy and a little cold, but that may be to our advantage."